Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-07
CITY AND DISTRICT.
NETWORKS.
An Address TO the Public.

To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:
the time has come again for the agitation before
the public Of the subject OF measures Of pre-
ventlOn or the ravageS Of the web-worm on the
trees. More than three weeks have passed since
the moths or parent forms OF this kind of insect
appeared In and about houses, and on the trees;
their eggs have been laid, and the worms already
nave become easily diStinguishable objects on the
leaves OF the trees. From this time on into July
these worms Will increase In size and destructive
ness, II not themselves destroyed, and every day
lost1n the destruction OF the worms makes their
destruction more difficult and less certain.
can hardly say anything more appropriate on
the subject now than to repeat what you printed
from my pen In your issue of the 3Oth June last
year. Then the worms had already reached a
they are now, and the irreparable damage done by
them attracted general attention. Now the meas
ures which then recommended as last resort
against future broodS, may be employed to pre-
vent damage even by the first brood.
These web worms begin their lives as colonies,
cover with web, under which they feed upon the
green substance OF the leaf They then extend
the web to enclose another leaf, and so cOntinu-
ally feed always under shelter. At this time most
OF the worms are still confined to the first three
to q dozen leaves, and many OF them to the one
leaf upon which they have Matched from the
punch or eggs laid on that leaf by the parent
moth. BY standing under or near the trees per-
son can easily detect the affected leaves and fire.
QucuCiy Can Ttdcn Uu0 leaves ana pluck Gnem OH
without the use OF step-ladder. For the more
distant leaves torch can be used, or the pruning
knife may be employed. 1t should be borne In
mind that each colony is capable OF destroying
all the leaves large branch so that even heroic
measures would be just1fable II needed in the at
tempt to destroy small and at first apparently
insignificant colony. 1t should be borne In mind
also, however, that
HEROIC MEASURES ARE NOT NECESSARY.
The worms cling tenaciously to their web, and
are mostly even under and enclosed by although
at the hours when they are most active some OF
them will be upon the outskirts Of the colony, ex-
therefore, to cut off the leaves from the branches
until the whole colony is detached and allowed to
fall to the ground, when it may be crushed under
foot, or may be burned or thrown into Scaldng
hot water. The hottest time of day is probably
the lest for this process, as the worms are then
probably the most quiet as Is known to be the
to any pruning OF branches. and especially to any
breaking OF branches, are numerous and valid, and
such pruning or breaking would probably be
looked upon as violation OF the police regula-
tons; but no objection can be made to the milder
and equally eff1cacious process which only re-
moves leaves already destroyed.
Time Is one Of the most important factors in the
measures which are to be taken for the destruc-
ton OF the worms. have said already that every
their destruction more difficult and less certain.
All that Is to be done must be done in the next
three or four weeks, or perhaps even sooner. The
worms spend only the first half Of their lives in
the web and then scatter over all the neighbortng
vegetation, the grass, shrubs, vines, &C, to feed
for two or three weeks more. They are the most
ravenOus in this latter period OF their lives, and
are then beyond all practicable means of suppress
sion. Whether or not IL would be practicable for
the parking commissioners or other authorities to
have the trees cleared OF worms in the time which
elapSeS from the detection of the colonies till the
of the worms 1t is certain that the pub
lie authorities will not attend to this duty they
should; 1t rests mostly upon the individual house.
holders to see that the trees near their houses
kept clear OF worms, and ten minutes Jud1ciously
ther injury before the latter part of july and may
save it for the whole season. The worms do not
travel far II they ind suitable food at hand, and
those persons who have the energy to take care of
their own neighborhoods need not fear any inva-
sion from distance to nulify the effect OF their
labors.
PRACTICAL TEST.
The importance OF little labor well directed
may be shown easily by mention Of an observation
which 1 made to-day. While walking along
street (Which is badly infested from Dupont Circle
to Iowa Circle to-day, plucked many leaves
within easy reach OF my hand and crushed the
worms under foot. On my return through street
did the same. Thinking numerical statement
would add weight to this address, plucked
bunch OF three elm leaves covered by one connect
ed web, and brought it into the house. counted
upon it six hundred and eighty eight (6SS cater
pillars and siXty-eight {6S) sound eggs One pres
sure OF the foot would have destroyed this nest of
destruction, and plucklng and crushing would
have taken less than half minute.
AN IMPRACTICAL PLAN.
One impractical official in this city, whose posi-
ton gives weight to his words on the subject of
insects, urges the use Of cumbersome engines
on carts, by each of which, with the help
OF three men and q horse, two trees could be
sprayed simultaneously with a poisonous mixture,
and he estimates that with one OF these machines
''each gang OF three men (and the horse could
properly protect in the ne1ghbOrhood OF from 800
to 500 medium-SiZed trees per day, and in ordinary
seasons and in dealing with the web-worm it
would only be necessary to poison such trees as
n
make any estimate Of the effect of the drippings
on the workmen the pedestrians on the sidewalks
or the horse, nor on the birds, who would drink
the drops hanging the leaves Certainly, as com
pared with JudiciOus and timely measures against
the We6-worm, this spraying apparatus is un-
may find 1t appropriate use in the cOttOn-fed for
which 1t was Invented, though not by the aforesaid
Official or its use might be justified in cases where
to its Whole surface at once but it is
not likely to come into general in the streets
of the city.
Mr. VIM R Smith, president of the parking com.
mission, Is reported in THE STAR of the 10th of
February last to have said that he would be very
glad If any one would tell the commission, not
what 1t ought to do, but how to do tt-nOt 81 told
you So" but the means by which we are to get
forever rid OF the cocoons and the caterpillars.
rid OF the cocoons and the caterpiars"1s not to be
hoped for within the bounds of reason. Like the
snow snow in winter, though probably not to so uni
or other insects every summer.
THE SNOW LAW
may furnish suggestion for a caterpillar law.
Every tenant Of house should be obliged to keep
the trees adjacent to his house free from cater
pillars, as he must keep the sidewalk free from
snow. The Government will have to look after
the reservations, II not after the un1mproved lots
II the Government undertakes to perform this duty
Tor the tenant must have its agents in the field
bettmes and In Sufficient force to accomplish the
object There is no "royal road" TO caterpillar ex-
termination, no .'elixir arborum," but arduOus
costly labor, which Is the price we pay for our
civilization and It's conditions. The several in
sects must be dealt with according to their. kind
Perhaps as predicted by several persons from last
years observations, the present brood OF the web
worms Will be destroyed to a great extent by its
natural enemies, but that will only be after the
damage has been done. and Will only protect the
trees from injury from later Droods the destruc-
ton OF the present brood in its infancy Is the only
protection from present injury.
B. PICKMAN MANN,
1918 Sunderland Place, Washington, D. G.
June 5, 1887.
For the Eye Of the Police.
To the Editor Of the EVENING STAR:
Until quite recently Mt. Pleasant and its ap-
proaches have been comparatively free of the
h0061nm nnt0anpn md lodi rJo1